Saints spree continues as Burley signs £1.6m Skacel

Rudi Skacel has teamed up again with former Hearts manager George Burley, joining him at Southampton after a £1.6million move from Marseille

The Czech Republic midfielder scored 16 goals in 35 Scottish Premier League games last season, after arriving at Tynecastle on loan from the French club. Remarkably, he scored in each of his first seven league games as Hearts began the season in fine form, before falling away after Burley's controversial dismissal, when the team were top of the league.

'Rudi did fantastically well when I was at Hearts,' Burley said. 'He is a strong midfielder who is very good at set plays and is always likely to score goals. Sometimes in football these things take time, but I'm sure he will be worth the wait. He has all the criteria we are looking for.'

Burley, who took over at the St Mary's in December and has spent over £6m on seven new players this summer, believes Skacel has the quality needed to help the team back to the Premiership. 'To win promotion, you need players who can score from all over the pitch and I am confident he can get into double figures.'

Crystal Palace have signed Carl Fletcher from West Ham in a £400,000 deal. The Wales midfielder was a regular in the Hammers side that won promotion from the Championship in 2004. But he found first-team opportunities hard to come by in the Premiership last term, and has opted to drop down a division to put his career back on track.

Carlos Alberto Parreira has agreed to coach hosts South Africa in the 2010 World Cup. Brazil's 1994 World Cup-winning boss, who resigned from his latest stint in charge of his homeland following a disappointing quarter-final exit in Germany this summer, has signed a four-year deal. Molefi Oliphant, president of the South African FA, said he was 'very excited' by the news.